The art of various lifting devices is replete. Numerous devices such as mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic devices are used in various industrial applications that incorporate a shaft carrying various objects such as, for example, cargo, components of machinery, and the like, to move such objects at desired distances. These prior art references are taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,274,554 to Ives, 1,499,560 to Stangeland, 3,543,903 to Lodige, 3,802,818 to Watanabe, 4,146,600 to Elly et al., 4,153,405 to Elly et al., 4,382,580 Hellander, 4,524,630 to Toth, 4,537,570 to Black et al., 4,601,648 to Amano, 5,922,264 to Shimmell, and 7,645,411 to Miyakoshi.
The U.S. Pat. No. 1,274,554 to Ives (the Ives reference) teaches a jacking device for a horizontal shaft that is intended to keep the shaft in a proper alignment for babbetting and is directed to provide alignment of the shaft in relationship to its bearing in order to perform operation with improved exactitude. In particular, the Ives reference teaches a work surface having a pair of blocks with each block presenting a uniform inclined surface. Each block is connected to its independent shaft connected to and supported by the work surface. The independent shafts are operated by a wrench or a spanner. Both blocks are independently movable towards and away from one another thereby forming a nest to hold a shaft and lift the shaft. The mechanical device taught by the Ives reference is subject to malfunction wherein one of the independent shaft may not be rotated or even two independent shafts may fail to be rotated synchronically thereby preventing the shaft to be moved and lowered gradually thereby having offset in travel path of the shaft. The Ives reference also fails to teach any devices connected to the shaft for lifting an object as blocks are moved to and away from one another.
Therefore, an opportunity exists for improved system and method for moving the object smoothly without any potential malfunctions of elements of the system.
There is also an opportunity for improved system for lifting objects that is simple in manufacturing and installation and compact in design to be utilized in various industrial applications.